Founded in 2018 by Richard Nischk, Ryan Egnos, and Rhett Trickett, Cue has positioned itself as an all-in-one customer service platform that combines AI-powered automation with human support. Rather than replacing customer service teams, the startup says its technology allows AI agents to handle repetitive and high-volume interactions while seamlessly escalating more complex conversations to human agents without losing context. In a recent research, South Africa emerged as Africa’s Most AI-Ready Destination.
The company says it currently serves more than 500 businesses across industries including retail, finance, insurance, automotive and education. Its platform processes over 500 million customer messages and conversations annually, while its annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew by more than 160% over the past year. According to Cue, its AI agents already resolve over 60% of customer interactions autonomously, significantly reducing response times and operational costs for businesses.
“We’re at an inflection point for AI in customer service,” Cue CEO Richard Nischk said, noting that businesses are moving away from fragmented customer support systems toward integrated AI platforms. He described Cue’s approach as “automation-first, but never automation only,” arguing that AI should handle routine work while human agents focus on conversations that require empathy, judgment, and relationship building.
The funding comes as enterprise software companies race to embed generative AI into customer support products. While many platforms use AI to answer questions or suggest responses, Cue is focusing on agentic AI systems capable of completing end-to-end tasks such as processing refunds, booking appointments, qualifying leads and updating customer accounts without constant human supervision. Recall that in 2024, Cue raised a $2 million seed round of funding to deliver deeper integration of AI into its platform.
Knife Capital founding partner Keet van Zyl said the investment reflects growing confidence that the future of customer service lies in AI systems that enhance human productivity rather than replace it. He described Cue as a company with the technical expertise and execution needed to emerge as a leader in the fast-growing enterprise AI market.
Cue’s latest raise also highlights continued investor interest in African enterprise software startups despite a more cautious venture capital environment. As businesses increasingly adopt AI to improve customer experience and reduce operating costs, startups building enterprise-focused AI infrastructure are emerging as one of the continent’s fastest-growing technology segments.
